This sketch illustrates how three different types of buildings behave in the event of an earth-quake. The first, a conventional multi-story building, will sway laterally, which can cause both structural and non-structural damage. The second type shows a building with seismic dampers, in which the swaying is dramatically reduced. The third type is a seismically isolated building. All movement is concentrated at the base, in the seismic isolator. Credit: Resilient and Ad-vanced Infrastructure Laboratory (RAIL) at the University of Virginia, led by Ozbulut Osman

This sketch illustrates how three different types of buildings behave in the event of an earth-quake. The first, a conventional multi-story building, will sway laterally, which can cause both structural and non-structural damage. The second type shows a building with seismic dampers, in which the swaying is dramatically reduced. The third type is a seismically isolated building. All movement is concentrated at the base, in the seismic isolator. Credit: Resilient and Ad-vanced Infrastructure Laboratory (RAIL) at the University of Virginia, led by Ozbulut Osman

This sketch illustrates how three different types of buildings behave in the event of an earth-quake. The first, a conventional multi-story building, will sway laterally, which can cause both structural and non-structural damage. The second type shows a building with seismic dampers, in which the swaying is dramatically reduced. The third type is a seismically isolated building. All movement is concentrated at the base, in the seismic isolator. Credit: Resilient and Ad-vanced Infrastructure Laboratory (RAIL) at the University of Virginia, led by Ozbulut Osman

Latest posts by Krystal Vasquez (see all)